Mindfulness in Education: Prescriptive Quick Fix or Transformational Paradigm Shift?

• In Event: Marriott Roundtable Session 58
  In Roundtable Session: Disrupting Conventional Spaces: Spirituality and Social Transformation

Abstract

While mindfulness has demonstrated utility in many realms of human well-being and functioning, it is certainly not beyond reproach. Instrumental and prescriptive forms of mindfulness attempt to apply scientific reductionism to isolate and quantify components of mindfulness that are associated with specific outcomes such as stress-reduction and increased attention and maximize their benefits. As mindfulness is mainstreamed and appropriated by various entities that attempt to capitalize on its popularity, it is crucial to understand what it is and how it may be applied in a holistic manner, particularly in educational contexts. One manner in which mindfulness may be applied holistically in education is to meet the requirements of curricular aims such as character education, social responsibility, and to increase empathy.

Author

• Muga Miyakawa, Simon Fraser University